nonfiction audiobook (~6 hrs, read by the author, a comedian and former self-help junkie who happens to be half-Jewish, with first-hand experience with depression and thus knows what depressed people DON'T want to hear)

depression humor - CW: depression, anxiety, with lewd sexual humor
written while the author was dealing with depression, written for people who are dealing with depression, or who perhaps have a darker sense of humor, but who are not suicidal (in which case getting immediate help is strongly encouraged).

I mostly listened to this before bed and kind of enjoyed the quiet sadness with occasional moments of levity; no sudden loud noises in this audiobook to prevent my dozing off. I don't think it's for everybody (not exactly a super positive feel-good book) but it does have a uniquely comforting sort of charm. ( )

Where to start? On pg 2 Novak is already telling us,

“I definitely won’t try to cure you… No false promises of a life free of depression here …”

Isn’t that refreshing?

This memoir? guide is so sarcastically witty that it’s difficult to put down. Be warned, there are plenty of sexual references as well as some cursing, so this book is not for the faint of heart (or the easily offended).

The chapter names and section titles are very creative, as well. Instead of just introducing ‘chapter 1’, ‘chapter 2’, and so forth, we see them instead labeled as things like: “Babyhood: Early Practice in Crying While Making Eye Contact with Strangers”.

There were times in this book when I laughed out loud, and then barged in on my husband (or caught his attention) to read the section to him. Other times, How to Weep in Public was painfully easy to relate to. Stories – about an awful therapist and strange experiments to lose weight, ‘tips’ on how to make things easier to handle and thus be a better ‘depresso’ – flooded the pages. We can’t forget the lists, either. There are lists in this book on everything from: “A Few Good Books for the Depressed” to the “Top Five Tips for Crying in the Shower”.

Novak’s writing is so intensely satirical that you can practically hear the words in her voice – even without having heard her speak before. There’s just so much personality in this book.

If you like a humorous read that still keeps things real, pick up How to Weep in Public. You will be glad you did!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. ( )